AN: I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Whilst playing red dead 2, I totally fell for Arthur Morgan and wanted him to have a love interest to make him happy but knew that wasn't going to happened because of Eliza and Isaac. I hope you like the first chapter, please review.
Chapter 1
Once again she was stuck upstairs whilst her husband, Gerald, was in another business meeting. Feeling like a trapped animal in a cage, she grew tired of reading the same five books over and over again. Out of boredom, she jumped up from the cushioned bench in her room and began pacing. The hem of her navy ball gown skirt dragged along the floor as she glided from room to room. Every now and again, she would find herself at the top of the staircase, the toes of her boots caressing the last step that led to the first floor. The temptation was increasing as she heard the front door to the manor open and the sound of the butler, James, introducing a late individual to the meeting.
Her husband didn't allow her downstairs where she could be ogled by the stable hands and the guards. Of course, Lydia was oblivious to the 'ogling' as she didn't think she was one to be stared at. The young woman saw herself as pretty but never beautiful. She thought that her dark blonde curled hair and blue eyes complimented each other quite nicely and her freckled face was never tarnished by the presence of makeup.
Gerald tried to get her to wear some makeup to the high society functions they were always invited to but she would refuse. The man never made her feel beautiful, always criticizing her choice of clothing, her manners and the way she carried herself. Lydia would get ready for the galas, mentally preparing herself for the judgemental comments that would follow. None of them about how pretty she looked.
There was only one man who had made her feel beautiful but she believed he was long gone.
That man was Arthur Morgan.
She first met him when he was a mere boy. Her father, Warren and herself were members of the famous Van der Linde gang fronted by Dutch Van der Linde and Hosea Matthews. Warren had built a business friendship with Hosea whilst doing a couple of odd jobs here and there. Her father got on better with Hosea, believing he was better leader for the gang.
When Warren's wife, Margaret, died he became lost. Unable to take care of his young daughter after taking to the bottle to drink away the sorrow. Hosea saw this, deciding to bring them into the gang to help them get back on their feet. Lydia felt loved and safe surrounded by women she could look up to and men that would protect her to no end.
Then one day, Hosea and Dutch came back with a shy boy by the name of Arthur. Lydia was happy to have a friend and someone to play with but she knew it would take a while for the boy to settle into his new surroundings. Surely enough after a few weeks, Arthur had come out of his shell, enjoying his new found friendship with Lydia. Lydia would show him around the camp, the chores that needed doing and sneaky hideouts where they could be alone. In return, Arthur taught the young girl to shoot a gun and ride a horse.
As the two got older they saw their feelings for each other change but neither dared to say anything to the other. Lydia was aware her feelings had changed when Arthur had rescued her from a drunk simpleton one night. The man clearly had too much to drink, mistaking Lydia's politeness for flirtation and permission to make a move. The man grabbed her a little too harshly, not accepting no as an answer to his actions. That's when Arthur swooped in like a knight, knocking out the villain and recusing the fair maiden.
He walked her back to their camp, making sure she was safe and at ease from the situation at the saloon. Arthur ended up sleeping on the ground next to her cot, letting the blonde know that she was secure and her knight was there in case of trouble.
From that day on that's what he became; her knight.
Lydia would need saving from her hero once again when her father passed. He died from contacting tuberculosis on a job, slowly deteriorating, becoming a shadow of the man he used to be. Like her father when her mother died, she also became lost, not knowing where she belonged without her father to guide her. During this time her saviour was courting a woman by the name of Mary Gillis, who was a refreshing break from his life of lies and deceit.
She took this as a sign to move on, get out of the gang, settle down some place new and meeting Gerald Braithwaite gave her that option. The ginger haired man made her special like she was worth something to someone. This was her way out of the gang and into a normal life of marriage and children.
The memory of the day she left was still vivid as if it had happened yesterday. She had informed Hosea and Dutch that she was to be engaged to a young man, not uttering his name in case they wanted to con him. The two patriarchs were sad to see her leave, not wanting her to go but knowing she deserved the best life. Tears pool in her ocean blue eyes as she remembers the tight embrace she received from both of her secondary father figures. The worst was yet to come though; saying goodbye to Arthur.
The outlaw had been out with Mary all day, coming back to the camp to witness his friend packing up her tent. The expression on his face was a mixture of pain for her leaving, regret that he hadn't spent more time with her and despair that he may never see her again. That look would forever haunt her being the last time she ever saw Arthur Morgan. She wanted him to confess his love for her, to hold her and tell her not to go or kiss her, but he didn't.
She had regretted leaving ever since.
Now here she was in a loveless marriage, not willing to leave because she didn't have anywhere else to go. She felt like Rapunzel looked in her tower understanding that there was a better life out there, she just didn't know where.
The air on the first floor on the manor began to feel thick and claustrophobic, so she stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. Bringing air into her lungs was not easy especially with this stupid corset she was wearing underneath her white frilly shirt. She tried breathing in the fresh air slowly and deeply, looking out onto the vast grounds of the Braithwaite manor. As she looked out, her eyes went to her favourite place on the grounds; the gazebo. A wooden circular structure with a bench around the inside, placed in the corner by the lake that surrounded the land. It was her most adored spot where she could peer out to the water, forgetting about her marriage troubles.
At this time Penelope, Gerald's cousin, was sat there probably writing a letter to her forbidden boyfriend, Beau Gray. Lydia was the only person Penelope confided in about her love affair with the youngest Gray and Penelope knew about Lydia's unhappiness. The both of them wanting to get away from the pressure and rules of the Braithwaite's.
Lydia saw Penelope as a way for her get out of her current predicament, to escape from the confines of the mansion's walls. She stormed back to her bedroom grabbing her leather bound notebook and a pencil before heading to the top of the stairs. Remembering that her husband was in a meeting, her hands brushed down her ball gown skirt, straightening it to look presentable.
When her faded brown boot hit the first step, the double doors to the parlour opened revealing two men. The first was a ginger haired fellow dressed in a grimy grey blazer and worn black trousers, heading straight for the front door. He was followed by a broad muscular man wearing a white shirt, bootleg black jeans and a matching leather Stetson. The second man was covered in weapons with a rifle slung round his back and two pistols holstered at his hips. The two of them ignored the curious woman on the stairs, going about their business. She was surprised her husband was dealing with men not up to his usual calibre.
She walked the rest of the way down the stairs, about to follow the men out the door but the dreaded voice of her husband found her ears.
"My dear, Lydia, where are you sneaking off to?" His voice was like poison to her ears. She had to suppress herself from rolling her eyes, instead opting for a loving smile as she entered the parlour.
"I was just going to join Penelope in the garden" The tone of her voice was sickly sweet as she spoke to her husband, ignoring the other two people in the room.
"Miss Davis" her mother-in-law refused to call her by her married name "this is Mr Matthews a new associate of ours." She detested the attention Catherine Braithwaite demanded when she was in the room. The sharp tone of her voice made her skin crawl and the fierceness in her eyes made her look away in shame. Her husband would have never introduced her to a business associate, but this was Catherine, she always had a motive behind her actions.
The smile on Lydia's face became real, recognising the older gentleman as Hosea Matthews, her old friend. She had not seen him in a good 10 years but he hadn't changed a bit. The hair on his head had become greyer in his older age but his eyes were still wise and bright. He wore his usual blue striped shirt and vest combination with a red handkerchief around his neck. She couldn't tell if he recognised her as she was only 21 when she left the gang. He probably remembered her as a scrawny young woman with big blue enticing eyes and untameable blonde curled hair held up with a bright blue ribbon. Now here, she was with the same blue ribbon tying up half her ringlets, tamed and under control.
"Hosea?!" Not one to usually call men by their first names but she was taken aback. She couldn't believe that he was still alive more than anything. Her thoughts went to the rest of the Van der Linde gang, wondering if Arth- they were all still well. The smile on Hosea's face widen at the sight of the girl he considered a daughter, she was back.
"Lydia, my girl." The old man stood up from the fabric couch to approach the girl, taking in the very beautiful woman. A chuckle unexpectedly erupted from the back at his throat at the luck he was having. When he reached the young woman, he placed his hands on the top of her arms, examining her face at how the years have treated her. There were little wrinkles around her eyes showing her age. Hosea pulled Lydia into a bear hug, missing the cheerful girl around camp. They pulled away from each other but Hosea held onto Lydia's hands. "You just missed Arthur and Sean."
The blonde woman felt her heart beat increase, she was so close to him. She took a few steps back into the hallway to search for her knight out the front door. All she could see were two figures on horseback riding into the distance. "That was Arthur?" she asked Hosea sadly.
"The boy's changed a lot since you last saw him." Hosea's tone appeared to be one of sadness for his surrogate son. This made Lydia anxious on what she had missed, feeling guilty for leaving Arthur to go through his life alone. Her mind was full of an abundance of questions to ask Hosea, but was interrupted by her attention grabbing husband.
"My dear, how do you know Mr Matthews?" She hadn't notice Gerald and Catherine follow herself and Hosea out the room until his irritating voice sounded.
"My father was good friends with Mr Matthews, we travelled around together for a while. When my father died, Mr Matthews took me in as one of his own." She gave Hosea a grateful smile. Understanding that it was probably a lot of hard work trying to comfort her becoming an orphan at 20 years-old. "I'm very grateful for him." Hosea peered down at the compliment. "And that's when I met Gerald. I hadn't seen him seen then."
Gerald looked satisfied with the answer provided by his wife, but Catherine didn't. She had always sensed that there was something suspicious about Lydia. The fact that she knew Mr Matthews confirmed it. He and Mr Morgan had already tried to con them buy selling the Braithwaite's stolen moonshine back to them. Catherine imagined that if Miss Davis knew Hosea before, she was of a similar no good background.
"Well Mr Matthews, it seems as though our business is done." Catherine declared with a bold tone, all eyes going back to the lady of the house.
"Allow me to walk you out." Lydia offered, walking towards the front door with Hosea. She thanked James as he held open the door for them. "So how is the rest of the gang?" She asked the older man as they walked down the steps together.
"You mean, Arthur?" A light blush appeared on her cheeks as her father figure saw through the question. "After you left, he was a mess. He drunk a lot, mumbling about finding a way to bring you back. Then Mary left and he lost some folk. He's been through a lot but he's come out the other side."
"I'm sorry for leaving. I thought it was best after- "
"My girl, no need for apologies. You found a way out but it's like a drug, people find a way back." The two of them neared his horse, Silver Dollar, their pace slow to try and get enough conversation in. "I sure did."
"How is Bessie?" The blonde's blue eyes lit up, wanting to hear all about Hosea's wife, the woman who cared and protected her. Hosea's eyes filled with sadness, realising Lydia had no idea of her passing.
"She passed a few years back." Hosea watched as shock appeared across Lydia's face. She assumed that not everyone in the gang would have lasted ten years but to hear it out loud, broke her heart.
"Hosea…" Tears began pooling in her eyes, one fell down her cheek. "I'm so sorry for your loss." Lydia quickly wiped the stray tear away, not wanting to burden Hosea with her sadness. The older man jumped up onto the saddle on his horse, not wanting to leave the vulnerable girl by herself with these rich piranhas.
"Thank you but it's okay. I'm healing." Noticing his hands grab the reins to Silver Dollar, her pulse quickened knowing their time was almost up.
"Where's the camp now?"
"Just outside Rhodes. Dutch, Arthur and Bill were made deputies to help against the Lemoyne Raiders moon-shire operation." Lydia chuckled, shaking her head at the situations those boys get themselves into. "I'm sure they'll see you in town."
"Rhodes is a Gray town. Dangerous for any of the Braithwaite's to step foot in."
"Since when did you stray away from danger?" Hosea teased the young girl, giving her a big cheesy smile as he prepared to leave the mansion's grounds. "Don't be a stranger." With that, Hosea kicked the horse gently making it exit the gates and head back to Rhodes.
As Lydia watched Silver Dollar take Hosea away, a small smile spread across her face. Her hero was alive and she saw him! Maybe her luck was changing after all.
